Tag: target

Welcome, 2017!

And BYE GIRL to 2016. It was quite a year, and definitely will not go down as the best in my books. Still, I would rather count my blessings than dwell on the negative past, so let’s move forward together!

We had a bunch of family and friends over to ring in the new year, and I wanted to make it a fun night for adults and kids alike. We all pitched in and purchased dozens of mortars and fireworks, and had the best time watching the sky dazzle us all night!! My husband and some of our friends love to get together to make pulled pork, brisket, and ribs so we used this as a chance for them to show off their smoker skills. Trust me, it did not disappoint! I’m actually kicking myself for not taking more pictures, and definitely for not getting pictures of the food. It was such a great dinner! As far as decorations, Target was my one-stop shop for all of this festive fun. I loaded up my cart as soon as they broke out the NYE party decor! For the champagne Publix totally had my back – they marked down some bottles, and had BOGO on the others! So naturally, I bought 10 bottles. That’s normal, right?

Our new kitten Banks even got a New Year’s Eve popper!

…but he couldn’t hang until midnight with us!

I took down our real tree a few days ago, but I was too lazy couldn’t bring myself to break down the artificial tree.

I had a stroke of inspiration when I laid out the decor for NYE and decided “HECK YES, New Year’s Eve Tree!!”. I’m sure others have done this as well, but I’ve never seen one. I modge-podged mine out of silver and gold Christmas ornaments (they looked like champagne bubbles to me) little party hats and party horns. I loved the little ornaments that looked like the Times Square ball drop! The stars were actually tooth pick toppers; I removed the toothpick, punched a hole in the top, and laced a ribbon through it. The party hats were easier: I cut a small hole in the top of the hat and ran the cord up through that, tied it closer to the base, and cut off the excess! It did take me a solid 4 or so hours for the tree, but I love how it turned out so much that I saved the decorations for next year!

All in all, it was a really fun night! I’m so thankful that my brother and sister-in-law could fly down and be with us; it was the icing on the cake for sure. Plus they’re expecting their first baby so I was able to get some belly rubs in. 🙂 One of the highlights of the night was cracking open the poppers with the confetti, paper crowns, and jokes-so fun! My sister Codi and I got completely sidetracked with the confetti wands and definitely used them all by 8pm. You want to completely lose your shit the morning after a party? Crack open 30 wands of confetti all over your house. Not the most fun thing to clean up when you’re tired and hungover, haha. But…I regret NOTHING! Playing with confetti is the most fun and festive thing EVER. Also, there were still bottles of champagne left, so mimosas helped us cope!

This year I’m looking forward to bringing positive change and to living life a bit more simply. One of my goals for 2017 is to slow down and take more time to relax and enjoy life. I spent the bulk of 2016 spinning my wheels, and that can really impact one’s sense of happiness and comfort! What are your goals and resolutions for the new year? Any bucket list items that you’re checking off your list? Whatever your aspirations are, I wish you the best 2017. Here’s to a new year and a new day!

Fun fact: I moonlighted as a professional gift wrapper one Christmas while I was in college. Most. Fun. Job. EVER. And ever since, I’ve been obsessed with wrapping presents! If you’re getting a gift from me, chances are that it’s in a box and you’ll need a large knife or pair of combat scissors to get into it. After Target re-posted my gift wrap IG picture and I received so much love for the precision, I decided to share the knowledge! If you appreciate perfection and the art of presentation, then this post is you for you my friend. Now that we are down to single digits until Christmas (9 DAYS!!!) it’s time to marathon wrap those gifts!

Measure paper…make sure that you can fold one side over at least one inch, and the top side over with at least 1 inch to spare, as shown. Optional: Jar o’Candy Canes.

First Step: Turn box over so that the top is face down. Make sure you have enough paper to have about 1 inch or more to create a “lip”. Fold over to the top, secure with tape, and use your fingers to crease the seam over the edge of the box to create a sharp edge.

Once the bottom is taped down, fold over the top portion. Pull this TIGHT and fold the lip over the box and crease with fingers. This creates a mark for you to fold the leftover portion UNDER to get your taping point.

After you fold the measured portion under the lip, pull paper tightly to the very edge of the box and secure only in the middle with tape. This creates the illusion that your box is wrapped with no seams.

Take the end-cap portion of paper where it’s not taped and secure as shown, making sure to pull paper tightly and crease all corners.

Fold corner back over and secure with tape to continue the “seamless” edge.

Fold other inside corner onto the box and secure with tape as shown.

Fold top (actually the true bottom) flap over tightly and either cut to size or fold under so that you have room to secure the edge with tape. Don’t forget to crease the edge!

Take bottom flap and tightly fold, creasing the edge to mark where you’ll need to fold under. Again, continuing the “seamless” look.

Never cut this part, always fold under so that you don’t have unsightly scissor lines.

Secure the folded seam with tape, crease, and then turn the box over and crease all sides on the bottom, or true top.

Voila! Dress presents up with ribbon, bows, gift tags, and fun little add-ons like evergreen sprigs, bells, etc. I hope this was clear and helpful! Let me know in the comments if you would like for me to post a video tutorial, I can’t tell if this is clear or not since I already know how to do this. I would love to see your wrapping skills! Tag me on Instagram (@elle.at.home) and hashtag #ElleWraps!!!

My First Love – Shopping!

One of my favorite blog topics to browse are “Friday Favorites and Style Guide” posts. I’ve decided to combine the two with my new segment, Friday Finds! Because I’m a rebel like that.

I love to shop, hate to have what everyone else has, and don’t like to search too long to find items that fit my style.

Sandals: Turns out, my husband is even more amazing than I previously thought. Not only did he secretly book a cruise for us, but he planned with my family to have ALL OF MY SIBLINGS AND MY BEST FRIEND come with! More on this later. While browsing Target for the perfect swim suit to hide my extra beer weight, I stumbled upon these perfect sandals and I couldn’t get them in my cart fast enough.

Hat: Thanks to my Scottish heritage, my skin may be olive, but I am not down with extra freckles and skin cancer isn’t really my style. Enter the sun hat, one of my summer must haves. J. Crew can be a bit pricey, but for a classic that I wear year after year, I’m good with the cost if it means it will hold up over time!

Rifle Paper Notepad: I’m slightly obsessed with being organized, which means that I make lists for every-damn-thing! Bills, To-Dos, reminders on how to breathe in and out slowly so that I don’t lose it when my kids are mortal-combat-style fighting…you get the picture. I also am a sucker for anything from Rifle Paper Co, because just look at it! I use this notepad everyday, but I’m not worried about running out because guess what?! They’re having their semi-annual sidewalk sale in Winter Park tomorrow from 10-5!!! You’re welcome locals. You can find their website here.

How to Be Parisian: Anyone who knows me knows that while I rarely watch TV, my nose is ALWAYS stuck in a book. This book may sound a little silly, but it’s a really fun read! I’ve been in love with Paris since my first french class in the 7th grade, and this book read like some of the stories that my fabulous french teacher told me about her college days exploring France with her Parisian girlfriends. Classy, rebellious, witty, and just snobby enough to be cute.

Sun Safety Essentials Kit: Okay, I’ll admit it. I used to go to tanning beds. GASP! Come on, it was before everyone was becoming aware of skin cancer and premature aging! For the past 5 or so years, I’ve been diligent about sun protection, both for myself and my children. I’m also in head-over-heels love with Sephora, and each year they roll out their new Sephora Favorites Sun Safety Kit and I always snap it up ASAP. The products are all travel size, but they all pack a punch and are super effective. My favorite from this year is the Coola Makeup Setting Spray. It’s on the expensive side, but it works like a charm! It dries immediately and protects your face (and make up) with SPF 30! Win-win in my book!

Strawberry Basil Mule recipe in my last post! And yes, that is a Harry Potter lightening bolt on my mule mug…

Michael is traveling this weekend to help my parents and little sisters move down to Florida (finally) so I’m flying solo with Laila and Carson…and my growing to-do list. While searching for easy and semi-healthy breakfast recipes for the kiddos, I stumbled across this recipe and wanted to share! Cheers to the weekend friends, I hope it’s relaxing and way too much fun!